Damper and flue-ventilator.



A. R. CLARK.

DAMPER AND FLUE VENTILATOB.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1909.

926,174. Patented June 29, 1909.

ALEXANDER R. CLARK, OF PETOSKEY, MICHIGAN.

DAIPER AND FLU'E-VENTIIJATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed March 8, 1909. Serial No. 482,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER R. CLARK, a citizen of. the UmtedStates, residing at Petoskey, 1n the county of Emmet and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Damper and Flue-Ventilator, of which the following is a specification.

The 0 jects of the invention are, generally, the provision in a merchantable form of a device of the class above specified which shall be inexpensive to manufacture, simple in operation and devoid of complicated parts; specifically, the provision of novel means for introducing a supply of cold air to the smoke ipe of a fuel receptacle, and of novel means For controlling the influx of cool air; other and further objects being made manifest hereinafter as the description of the invention progresses. l

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, delineated in the accom anying drawings and particularly pointe out in that rtion of this instrument wherein patentab e novelty is claimed for the distinctive and peculiar features of the device, it bein understood that within the scope of what ereinafter is thus claimed, divers changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of construction may be made without departing from the s irit or sacrificin any of the advantages of t e invention.

%irmlar numerals of reference are employed to denote corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the draw- Iii the accompanying drawings, l igure 1 shows my invention in side elevation; Fig. 2 is a top anof the damper; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the lateral pipe 5 shown in Fig. 1 the damper being cut transversely; Fi 4 is a detail perspective of the collar; and, 'g. 5 is a detail perspective of the spindle upon which the damper is mounted.

In the accompanying drawin s, I have shown a fuel container which'in t e present instance takes the form of an ordinary stove,

provided in its base with a draft a erture to admit air below the grate, and w th means for closing the aperture. Any of the common and well known devices adapted to the and sought may be used and I deem my description sufficiently clear if the position of the aperture and its closing means be indic ted gen rally by the numeral 2. The

stove, which may be ada ted for a fuel of any sort, is provided wit the usual stoke door 3 and from the rear of the device rises the smoke ipc 4.

The smo e pipe 4 is tapped, and from it projects a lateral air supply pipe 5 provided at its outer end with a removable plug 6. From the outer end of the pipe 5, a flue 7 extends downward, its lower end .being open and in close relation with the floor, the lower end of the flue 7 being supported by legs 8. A closing damper 9 is interposed in the portion 5.

Large latitude is desired in the arrangement and construction of the parts hereinbefore described. The stove may be replaced by a domestic heating furnace, or by a furnace of the type used in connection with steam-boilers, distilling plants and the like, and the form of the piping will be varied to meet the exigencies of the particular case, bearing in mind the fact that at some points in the exit for the products of combustion, and preferably adjacent to the receptacle into which the fuel is consumed, a duct having a suitable closure, is provided, whereby large quantities of cold air may be admitted to the exit for the combustion products.

To adhere, for the purpose of specific illustration, to the particular form of apparatus shown, the stove 1 may be filled with fuel and a fire lighted'therein, the direct draft 2 being open and the damper 9 being closed. When the fire is thoroughly kindled, the direct draft 2 may be closed and the d ampcr 9 opened. The draft will then pass through the pipe section 5 and throu h the smoke pipe 4. The advantages of this operation are several. In the case of the particular form shown, cold air will be drawn through the flue 7, and the floor and the lower atmosphere of the apartment kept warm, the apartment beingventilated at the same time. With the direct draft 2 closed and the damper 9 opened, there will be no appreciable draft through the fuel container. The smoke and fuel particles will be thoroughly and effectively consumed instead of being drawn upward into the smoke flue, the efficiency of the fuel being greatly increased in the case of the present invention. With the direct draft 2 closed and the damper 9 open, the fire may be held for a long time, and when it is desired to start the fire anew, the direct draft 2 may be opened and the damper 9 closed, whereupon t e fire will in a short time spring into activity. Another advantage of the device lies in the fact that, by admitting a supply of cold air mto the smoke pipe 4, the formatlon of creosote 1n the pipe will be prevented, since this creosote formation takes place to best advantage in a rarefied atmosphere or in a closed receptacle, such as the smoke pipe of a stove. t is to be understood that the device need not be operated with the damper 9 entirely closed and with the direct draft 2 entirely open, or with the damper 9 entirely open and the direct draft2 entirely closed. These parts may be so adjusted with respect to each other as to obtain any desired admix ture in the smoke pipe 4. Now sincethe operation of a device of the character described depends upon the construction and 0 eration of the element 9, I have given to tiis member 9, particular attention in the design of the apparatus, with a view to effecting, when desired, a complete and an tight closure of the pipe section 5.

Referring .now particularly to Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the damper 9 comprises a pair of fiat plates 10 and 11 between which is mounted a sheet of flexible refractory material 12, preferably asbestos, the plates 10 and 11 and the member 12 being assembled by means of rivets 14. The plate 11 is transversely slotted in its diameter as will be noted by the numeral 15. The material which stands at the ends of this slot 15 in the diameter of the plate, is bulged to form trough shaped sockets 16 and 17. The trough shaped socket 17 at its outer end, is caused to flare to form a bell shaped bearing member 18 adapted to bear upon the inner surface of the stove pipe. The side Walls of the member 17 in the end thereof which is remote from the bell shaped member 18, are slotted as denoted by the numeral 19. The sockets 16 and 17 are adapted to receive a s indle 20 whereby the damper is operated, the said spindle being provided at one end with the usual thumb piece 21. A collar 22 is slidably mounted upon the spindle 20 and a coiled spring 28 having ,one of its ends in abutment with the thumb-piece 21, serves to actuate the collar 22 toward the wall of the stove pipe to retain the damper in its place. -Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, it will be seen that the collar 22 is pierced b two slots 23 and 24 disposed at right angfes to each other, the slot 24 being somewhat shorter than the slot 23.

Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the spindle 20 is provided with diametrically opposite, upstanding lugs 25 each terminating at one end in an enlarged head 26. Beyond the lugs 25 is another pair of outstanding lugs 27.

The method of assembling the damper is as follows:The s indle 20 is inserted into the collar 22, the ugs 25, and the heads 26 pass freely through the slot 23, the spring 28 being compressed in the operation. When the 00111.: 22 has passed the lugs 25, the said collar is given a partial rotation, to bring the slot 24 of the collar 22 into alincment with the lugs 25. These lugs 25 are arranged to traverse the slots 24 in the collar and when the collar is released the spring 28 will cause the said lugs 25 to move in the slot 24 as aforesaid. The heads 26, however, cannot pass through the slot 24 and the collar 22 will therefore remain assembled with the spindle 20. The damper 9 is then introduced within the stove-pipe, and the spindle 20 is passed through an aperture in the pipe and into the socket 17. It will be seen by referring to Fig. 3, that the distance between the wall of the socket and the asbestos member 12 is sufficient to allow the lugs 27 when disposed at right angles to the damper, to pass between the wall of the socket 17 and the member 12 and that the space between the walls of the socket 17 itself, is not suflieient to allow the passage of the lugs 27 between them except when as hereinbefore described, the said lugs 27 are disposed parallel to the walls of the socket 17 and at right angles to the damper proper. The spindle 20 therefore is passed into the socket 17 with the lugs 27 disposed at right angles to the damper and after the section 27 has passed beyond the end of the socket 17 the spindle 20 is turned through an angle of 45 and released whereupon the tension of the spring 28 will cause the lugs 27 to move backward engaging the slots 19 in the walls of the socket 17, securing the damper to the spindle and both the damper and the spindle in position upon the pipe. Now While the s indle has thus been engagingthe socket 17, t e extremity 29 of the spindle will have passed into the socket 16. It has been stated hereinbefore that these sockets 16 and 17 were trough shaped, that is,'that they were 0 en toward the member 12 which is dis osed etween the lates l0 and 11. This eing the case, it is o vious that with the construction hereinbefore pointed out in the extremity 29 of the spindle would be likely to move in the socket 16, coming in contact with the asbestos member 12 to the damage of the same. In order to obviate this difficulty, a portion of the plate 1 1 adjacent the slot 15 therein is bent outward from each side of the said slot to form a seat to receive the spindle 20, as best shown in Fig. 3. The ends of these portions which in Figs. 2'and 3 are designated by the numeral 30 are carried through the member 12 and through the plate 10, their extremities being over-bent and clenched upon the plate 10, as shown in Fig. 3. The disposition of these ends 30 serves not onl to maintain the spindle 3 from contact with the member 12 and to hold the said spindle rigidly in place, but at the same timeserves,

to aid the rivets 14 in firmly assembling the parts of the device.

As hereinbefore pointed out, the member 12 is allowed to extend peripherally beyond I the plates- 10 and 11 to form a yieldable edge, and as denoted by the numeral 31 in Fig. 3 the pipe in which the damper is mounted is contracted to engage the periphery of the damper.

It will be seen that by means of the arrangement last above described, it is possible to control absolutely the influx of cold air through the supply ipe 5, and furthermore, since the yieldablg pi e en aging periphery of the damper is fasllione from asbestos or like material, the said damper is not likely to become burned out or damaged, even if the pipe should become heated to a h' h degree.

he foregoing mechanism although simple in construction is well adapted to control with precision the influx of cold air into a smoke pi e, or flue, in a device of the class describe Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is.

1. In a device of the class described, a damper comprising a pair of metallic plates, and a refractory member interposed between the plates and rigidl assembled therewith, the refractory mem er being exa ieldable, i eeri a in e In a eiiice o i iihe class described, a damper comprising a pair of metallic plates, and a refractory member interposed between the plates, the refractory member being extended laterally beyond the plates to present a yieldable pipe -engaging edge; one of said plates being slotted, a ortion of said plate at the edge of the slot eing bent to pierce the refractory member to engage the other late.

3. n a device of the class described, a dam er comprising a pair of metallic plates, a re actory member interposed between the plates, one of said plates eing bulged in its diameter adjacent its edges to form sockets, the said plate being slotted between the sockets; a spindle for rotating the damper mounted in the sockets; the walls of the slotted plate adjacent the slot, being outbent to form a seat to receive the spindle, and being carried terminally throu h the refracto member and throughtheot er plate, and being clenched u on the other plate.

In testimony that fclaim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER R. CLARK.

Witnesses:

AGNES P. CLARK, ADDISON HOFFER.

tended laterally bevond the (plates to provide 

